What makes for an effective summer reading program?  

This study from the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences tested the effectiveness of a summer reading program on improving student reading comprehension for economically disadvantaged grade 3 students reading below the 50th percentile nationally. As part of the program, students were sent a single shipment of eight books matched to their reading level and interest area during the first part of the summer. The shipment was followed by six weekly reminder postcards. Findings showed that the summer reading program did not have a statistically significant impact on student reading comprehension. However, the authors note that the study's conclusions are constrained by several aspects of the program's design, including that the program lasted just one summer and did not include teacher instruction and parent involvement. In previous studies, programs with these components were found to be effective.